UN looks to avoid unilateral decisions

This is the UN at its worst. They are being held hostage to a plan which has already been rejected and has no chance of going through.

Russia has every right to veto any resolution, as does any other permanent member of the Security Council. That is what the body is set up for; not to force members to just go along with something that they can't sanction. The US shouldn't be allowed to 'own' the UN - have they even paid their huge back payments yet?

All drafts of the supposed resolution will be turned down until it incorporates aspects of 1244: sovereignty, return of displaced people, protection of heritage etc.

Independence of a province along ethnic lines cannot be allowed to happen in the middle of Europe. Everybody knows this. The consequences would be dire.

The only course of action is to respect and implement the existing Resolution 1244 and work with Belgrade and Pristina to reintegrate the province, albeit on a basis of full autonomy. This is what should have happened in the first place.

Any kind of violence should be dealt with swiftly and decisively by the international troops. After all, they are the self-appointed protectors of the province.

If the Kosovo government refuses to participate in further discussions, then it will have to be done on their behalf. That is what the UN has done so far where one party just refuses to budge.

Time to stop the stalling and start the real protection of the people and the future of the province. The longer this drags on the worse it will be.

Kate I have a quick comment on your distorted view of this process.
"They are being held hostage to a plan which has already been rejected and has no chance of going through. "
well its been rejected from 1 out of the 15 security council members.
"Russia has every right to veto any resolution," well they do but it is getting senseless since they have no advise or clear indication as what do they want to see out of this outcome, except greater support for PUTIN in russia.
As the 1244 was written for its time, now is the time to change it, The resolution needs to look at the precedents already set by the breaking blocks of the USSR and Yougoslavia. Kosovo is no different, but the serbian side is bitter that they speak Albanian instead of Slavik.

Full autonomy is a joke, been there done that, maybe the EX government thought they are russians in chechnya when they went in with tanks and mortars inside kosovo, but that was the last straw not to trust anything that comes from belgrade.
"Any kind of violence should be dealt with swiftly and decisively by the international troops. After all, they are the self-appointed protectors of the province." You remind me of Jovan that says Nato should protect Kosovo from Belgrade's unfriendly intentions.
Well the real international community has no intention "to stop the stalling" Its the only tactic that is left with russia and serbia. the rest of the community mainly EUROPE were Kosovo is, has stated loud and clear, Even the Eu president, newly elected Sarckozy, and Brown, The list will still go on.
And once again you are spinning things to an unrealistic level kate, you are very good at that, but lets face it you might educate some serbs in this site with wrong information, you distort the picture worse than Fox News.

Kate and Jovan

lets say no independence for Kosova. What then?
What do you with more than 2 million population that don’t agree with the politics of Serbia not of your country? We will not obey Belgrade orders that’s for sure.
What would you do with or ID cards and T.documents, cars plates, all different from Serbian ones.
What do you do with Serbian population in Kosova?
IDP no place to return since they have sold everything. Would you repeat 1913 again? Would you come and occupy land again and give it to Serbian refugees from Krajina and Bosnia so in 90 years time they became owners of the holy land?
What would Serbia do isolated form EU since entry to EU is conditioned with the independence of Kosova?
No international community presence since it will be part of Serbia. How do you ensure that human rights are respected? Serbia has a appalling human rights record even today.

Well my dears, Serbia will be the biggest looser again.
It is easy for you to say ,do this do that, from 3000 miles away! Ask Serbs what they want. Or maybe easier, see B92 in Serbian so you get an idea of what they want

after having watched the statements of Ambassador Dumisani S. Kumalo of South Africa, Vitaly Churkin and Wang Guangya I would say it should be clear even to the last Albanian that you can kiss independence goodbye.

it is especially very stupid to insult member states of the UNSC as irrelevant, as Mr.Kumalo has mentioned...

seems like some don´t realize the importance of the UNSC, even outside the albanian lobby.

furthermore, the chinese permanent member and current chairman Wang Guangya made the chinese standpoint very clear.
so, every Albanian should take the time and watch his statement in order to end all illusions.

Olf your comments get more bizarre. Serbia's human rights record is impressive when compared to the region. Was not Vojvodina held up as an example of how a multi-ethnic Balkan state should be? That was the Council of Europe only last year. They commented that Vojvodina should serve as a regional benchmark.

You keep passing judgement on the diaspora. If you want to ask the citizens of Serbia (regardless of ethnicity) about Kosovo and Metohija why not have a democratic referendum? Of course you dont want that as Kosovo and Metohija is legally and internationally recognised as part of the sovereign state of Serbia... therefore all citizen are entitled to vote on the issue of independence. 2 million ethnic Albanians vote 'yes' 8 million Serbs vote 'no'.

I pointed out yesterday (as did another contributor) than 1913 holds no relevance in 2007. If it did it would concern Serbia and Turkey (the inheritor of the Ottoman state) and not ethnic Albanians who have never owned Kosovo and Metohija (c'mon, thats the starting pistol for an avalanche of Illyria myths and legends).

What you ask is independence against international laws, without a democratic vote involving the citizens of said country (not province).

Have you ever heard the expression 'flogging a dead horse'? Well that is what the US is doing here. Ahtisaari's greater albania plan is dead, finito. However, the US, keep on insisiting on it and the Russians delight in telling them 'No'. It is also very clear from the Chinese statements that they are clearly against this illegal theft of a sovereign country's land. Time seems to be on the Serbian side. As time passes, more and more countries will stand up to the bullies who are trying to push through this illegal greater albania plan.

Olf - I agree that it will be extremely difficult but for the security of Europe a way must be found.

And please don't speak of Serbia's appalling human rights record 'even today'. Of course it needs improving, but the US, for example, is supposedly a wealthy, democratic and developed nation and has a terrible human rights record.

As for those number plates and provincial ID - that's fine. They can still be different within a sovereign state.

I can't go to the Serbian language site because I don't speak Serbian beyond a few words.

I am speaking as a European directly affected by the prospect of Kosovo independence. Am I not entitled to my view? I am deeply sorry that terrible things happened to people in Kosovo, no matter what ethnicity, but this issue stretches way beyond that.

The US cannot have the right to change borders in Europe, no matter what 'side' they take. And now I hear that the Kosovo Government is already refusing partition on the grounds that it would be redrawing borders! Such double standards.

This isn't a precedent - it's a prequel to future events.

This delays are not fair on the Serbs. Everybody knows the decision is independence and everything is a matter of finding someone to say 'yes'... This procrastination is only hurting ordinary serbs and Kosovars.... PUt an end to it.

The UN Secretary general is right: "any unilateral decision to resolve Kosovo issue should be avoided". I wish these words be pronounced in Pristina as well, unfortunately, incited by a number of Western capitals for "alternative way" (i.e. violence and riots). These countries and Mr. Ahtisaari , encouraged by them to produce a one-sided plan,will bear personal resposibility, if it really happens. These people do not understand that by their wrong-doing they are undermining not only the prestige of the UNO, but that of their states as well.

The articles on Kosovo and the comments they invoke every day are becoming rather repetitive. Albanians accuse Russia of holding them and the region "hostage", as if independence is a self-evident and historically-obligated duty. The reality is that Russia is big enough, rich enough, and politically powerful enough to essentially check nearly all of Europe and the US in its quest to hammer through a resolution that is bound to create more problems after implementation than before.

Russia has also been on the advantage because they are just rejecting everything. It's easy to reject something, but far harder to propose an alternative solution. If people are genuinely interested in moving the process forward, AND avoiding that nightmare scenario of unilateral declaration that Ceku and his ilk are salivating over, Russia needs to be brought to the table and told "YOU propose a solution then". What does Russia really want?What would get Russia to come on board? Right now, the "West" is drawing up plans, and Russia is shooting it down, so let Russia take the driver's seat, rather than playing a guessing game with each recyclable proposal.

Joe i made a comparison with the region and believe me... i'd rather be a Magyar in Vojvodina than a Magyar in Transylvania, or a Roma in Bulgaria, or a Pomak in Greece, or a member of any number of non-Albanian groups in Kosovo and Metohija. I only wanted to highlight that CoE commended Vojvodina.

Olf i dont need to learn about the history of Kosovo and Metohija. I have a degree in history (specialising in the Balkans) from a top 5 British University. Of course we were taught fact and had no time for national myths and legends (my dissertation was about the battle of Maritsa and its contribution to the demise of the Serbian Empire... i decontructed the Vidovdan myth). it is sad that many (including yourself) appear to believe half truths and state sponsered history that belongs to cold winter nights besides a hearth.

Kate,
You are asking the international forces to control any possible violence in Kosovo and in the meantime you are the one holding the entire region hostage.
International forces have been there for 8 years, and now they want to put the question to rest. On what moral premises you ask Nato forces to stay in Kosovo for protection when you and the rest of the Serbian klan refuse to accept a solution offered by the same governments that have provided this protection?
Why any of you have the guts to say, let NATO leave and Serb military will move in to control the province?
At least be honest about your intentions.

Dragan I completely agree.
If someone looks the "trend" regarding kosovo's status using means taken by stock markets technical analysis would see the long/medium trend is in favor of the serbian side. So yes, time is with Serbia, (along with all countries of the world except US/UK).

Olf, that's a good idea. Bring all the IDP's to settle in Kosovo. There's plenty of land and opportunity. The EU will guarantee their safety and assist in their economic and social development. This would bring the demographics in Kosovo to a more even proportion of Albanians to other Kosovo citizens. BTW, Belgrade does not want to rule Kosovo. Kosovo will have broad autonomy, overseen by the EU. And you can even have your own license plates.

Anthony,

Please hold your horses! Vojvodina as a benchmark? Everything is relative. Compared to Bosnia of the nineties it is naturally better. But it is very, very far from a democratic situation, where all ethnigues groups are treated equally. There is still a good amount of discrimination, especially in areas of justice. All Serbs vehemently deny it but it is a sad reality.
A good example: about 12-18 months ago 3 Hungarians of the Banat area of Vojvodina were condemned to a total of some 74 or 76 years for beating a Serb. I do not know the cause of the beating.
Anyway the severity of the punishment was in no relation with the crime. When Hungarians are attacked by Serbs the Serbs are simply not arrested by the police or get a warrning in the best case. So that is justice in Vojvodina. It remind me of justice in Kosovo before 1999.

No one seem to be able to answer my questions properly. Similar answers were heard from Milosevic as well. Kate, I value your contributions in this matter but they have no grounds for long term solution. You point that US want to change the borders in EU. Sorry, US does not want, it is the people of Kosova that want that. People of Kosova are only supported by US and EU to get the freedom. I have heard something similar is happening with Scotland but not sure what? If Scotland is free to separate from GB why Kosova has be any different.

Anthony, history of Kosova is not as you describe it. You can learn from books in UK library’s if you are interested. I can recommend you some if you are interested.
Referendum would be a great idea. But Serbia does not recognise K-Albanians 2 million voters as it happened in the last referendum. Have they already taken Kosova from their voters list. If so it a wise idea.

According to you OLF, Anthony should be reading history books published by the Albanian Pritina Press. It amazes me what some Albanians believe, is it possible that Balkan history printed in 50 different languages from around the world all tell lies and that only the Albanian version of Balkan history is true? Time to spend some serious money in Kosovo for building a real University!

UN looks every day more and more like the Roman senate in its end days. A nice place for talking. Well, I guess we can start making jokes about UN like the ones we have about other categories (I don't mention here any of them in order not to offend those without sense of humor).

"Olf" wrote:
"But Serbia does not recognise K-Albanians 2 million voters as it happened in the last referendum. Have they already taken Kosova from their voters list. If so it a wise idea."

Olf, instead of hiding behind some scandinavian-like nick-name, you should rather stick to the truth!
Albanians from Kosovo could attend to the referendum, and a significant number of Albanians did vote, but it was only those Albanians out of reach of the kla. if you risk your life because of taking part in a referendum of a state you are living in, you probably won´t take part.

and last but not least the serbian government had no infra-structural possibillity to organise the referendum in Kosmet, since UNMIK is the provisional authority in Kosmet. so much for your referendum-nonsense.

Anthony
the 1913 treaty of London is not a myth.

adriano
Its the way it works. All u need is 1 and there is no independence. You said that they r irrelevent. U made a mistake. Now its unilateral which no one will support or autonomy. By the way unilateral will still mean Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia.

This is all too comical. The US/EU wants to see a resolution pass through the UNSC, on Kosovo's eventual status. Yet, if one does not occur soon or, if they don't agree with it, they (US/EU) will most probably circmvent the UN and impose their own will on the final declaration. Whether this is illeagal or not in international law, matters not when you are a Super power. I guess this would be a continuation of America's "Humanitarian Intervention" policy. Just like they intervened in Iraq to save the Kurds from Saddam. Afterall, the US always knows what is right for everyone.

Joe,
What justice is there in Kosovo today? For that matter what justice is there in Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, EVEN montenegro? None can compare to Serbs who have always been impartial and just.

This is for those still in denial.

Headquarters for US forces is located at Camp Bondsteel, built on 750 acres of former farmland near Urosevic. Bondsteel has about a 6-mile perimeter. The 1,000-acre camp was built from the ground up on a former field. Basecamps Bondsteel and Monteith were established in June 1999 in Kosovo to be used as staging points for the bulk of US forces stationed in the Multi National Brigade-East. About 4,000 US service members were stationed at Camp Bondsteel in the farm fields near Urosevac, and another 2,000 were at Camp Montieth, near Gnjilane.

Russia has no equity in Kosovo it’s a simple as that

Anthony, don’t know which books did you read from. I am rally amazed that the history(myths) you have learned did not mention Illyrians, movement of Slavs in Balkans end of 7th century, their religion, occupation of Kosova on 1913 etc. Can you tell at which University did you do your master please. I need to see their courses and ask for some information. Or maybe the university taught you the proper things but you like to twist them. Degrees do not count unless are used constructively.
Turks don’t want to do anything with Kosova since they know that it belongs to Albanians not Serbs.

Anthony it deeply saddens me that the top 5 uk university teaches you about battles and forgets to mention the crusaders when the christian power invaded the balkans only to fail later on. The anger of the orthodox community was so much that they decided to invade the balkans as a counter. It was since that day that there were orthodox in the balkans. On the albanian side albania is our religion, muslim catholic orthodox jews or anything is a by product.

Hi Anthony,

In reply to your last comment (even though you might not read this, because it is late, it is more for B92 than for you) I/we are for sure happy with your achievements in what concerns the history of Balkans. However very few of us are actually impressed by this so your mentioning sounds a bit strange. It does sound strange to say all these things about your thesis and claim to have knowledge of history and at the same time fail to have a diplomatic sense (technically you should have training for this, given your profesion, but...). You can not simply come and launch accusations like that on the web. I am talking about the (unfounded) accusations concerning countries around the ex. Yugoslavia in what concerns the way they treat their minorities: Greece, Romania, Bulgaria. Those words are very offending (placed here in basically no context at all). There is a lot of work in the minorities right in these countries. Probably you were thinking of something, but you have to say of what, not just send accusations. These countries have nothing to do with the Yugoslavia speech. If you make a comparison with the bloodshed in Yugoslavia, then these countries are saints. You can not drag them with such offending accusations into your speech as argumentation for a debate. That is why I also recommended you post for deletion. It was not because your opinion differs (that is your right) but because it was offending (as I was saying, pretty badly). There are a lot of people reading these posts... B92, with your moderation, please do not look to accommodate only the posters, but also the readers.

Anthnoy, here is something that I found in wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The constitutional status of Kosovo has changed on several occasions since the region was incorporated into Serbia in 1912. The province is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian (and previously, the Yugoslav) government and Kosovo's largely ethnic-Albanian population. In 1999 administration of the province was handed on an interim basis to the United Nations under the terms of UNSCR 1244 which ended the Kosovo conflict of that year. That resolution reaffirmed the sovereignty of Serbia over Kosovo but required the UN administration to promote the establishment of 'substantial autonomy and self-government' for Kosovo pending a 'final settlement' for negotiation between the parties. International negotiations, lead by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari, began in February 2006; a draft UN resolution which proposes 'supervised independence' for the province was discussed the Security Council in May and June of 2007 but as of early July had not achieved consensus amongst the permanent members (see Kosovo Status Process).

More I read your comments more I belive that you have heard some stories from your grandparents that porbably escaped from Yugoslavia.

I don't know how you got your master on history, but first of all, there was never a serbian empire. You can say serbian kigdom, yes and do you know how big of an area was serbian kingdom? I tell you it was belgrade with its sorroundings, and this is enshrined on the wall of Colesium in Rome, Italy. Been there and studied those maps on the walls very closely, and i recomend you take a trip to Rome and you will see what Iam talking about, which is HARD FACTS.

Cvele,
Tell that lie to the victims of Serbian justice.

This is the UN at its worst. They are being held hostage to a plan which has already been rejected and has no chance of going through.

Russia has every right to veto any resolution, as does any other permanent member of the Security Council. That is what the body is set up for; not to force members to just go along with something that they can't sanction. The US shouldn't be allowed to 'own' the UN - have they even paid their huge back payments yet?

All drafts of the supposed resolution will be turned down until it incorporates aspects of 1244: sovereignty, return of displaced people, protection of heritage etc.

Independence of a province along ethnic lines cannot be allowed to happen in the middle of Europe. Everybody knows this. The consequences would be dire.

The only course of action is to respect and implement the existing Resolution 1244 and work with Belgrade and Pristina to reintegrate the province, albeit on a basis of full autonomy. This is what should have happened in the first place.

Any kind of violence should be dealt with swiftly and decisively by the international troops. After all, they are the self-appointed protectors of the province.

If the Kosovo government refuses to participate in further discussions, then it will have to be done on their behalf. That is what the UN has done so far where one party just refuses to budge.

Time to stop the stalling and start the real protection of the people and the future of the province. The longer this drags on the worse it will be.

Kate I have a quick comment on your distorted view of this process.
"They are being held hostage to a plan which has already been rejected and has no chance of going through. "
well its been rejected from 1 out of the 15 security council members.
"Russia has every right to veto any resolution," well they do but it is getting senseless since they have no advise or clear indication as what do they want to see out of this outcome, except greater support for PUTIN in russia.
As the 1244 was written for its time, now is the time to change it, The resolution needs to look at the precedents already set by the breaking blocks of the USSR and Yougoslavia. Kosovo is no different, but the serbian side is bitter that they speak Albanian instead of Slavik.

Full autonomy is a joke, been there done that, maybe the EX government thought they are russians in chechnya when they went in with tanks and mortars inside kosovo, but that was the last straw not to trust anything that comes from belgrade.
"Any kind of violence should be dealt with swiftly and decisively by the international troops. After all, they are the self-appointed protectors of the province." You remind me of Jovan that says Nato should protect Kosovo from Belgrade's unfriendly intentions.
Well the real international community has no intention "to stop the stalling" Its the only tactic that is left with russia and serbia. the rest of the community mainly EUROPE were Kosovo is, has stated loud and clear, Even the Eu president, newly elected Sarckozy, and Brown, The list will still go on.
And once again you are spinning things to an unrealistic level kate, you are very good at that, but lets face it you might educate some serbs in this site with wrong information, you distort the picture worse than Fox News.

Kate and Jovan

lets say no independence for Kosova. What then?
What do you with more than 2 million population that don’t agree with the politics of Serbia not of your country? We will not obey Belgrade orders that’s for sure.
What would you do with or ID cards and T.documents, cars plates, all different from Serbian ones.
What do you do with Serbian population in Kosova?
IDP no place to return since they have sold everything. Would you repeat 1913 again? Would you come and occupy land again and give it to Serbian refugees from Krajina and Bosnia so in 90 years time they became owners of the holy land?
What would Serbia do isolated form EU since entry to EU is conditioned with the independence of Kosova?
No international community presence since it will be part of Serbia. How do you ensure that human rights are respected? Serbia has a appalling human rights record even today.

Well my dears, Serbia will be the biggest looser again.
It is easy for you to say ,do this do that, from 3000 miles away! Ask Serbs what they want. Or maybe easier, see B92 in Serbian so you get an idea of what they want

Olf your comments get more bizarre. Serbia's human rights record is impressive when compared to the region. Was not Vojvodina held up as an example of how a multi-ethnic Balkan state should be? That was the Council of Europe only last year. They commented that Vojvodina should serve as a regional benchmark.

You keep passing judgement on the diaspora. If you want to ask the citizens of Serbia (regardless of ethnicity) about Kosovo and Metohija why not have a democratic referendum? Of course you dont want that as Kosovo and Metohija is legally and internationally recognised as part of the sovereign state of Serbia... therefore all citizen are entitled to vote on the issue of independence. 2 million ethnic Albanians vote 'yes' 8 million Serbs vote 'no'.

I pointed out yesterday (as did another contributor) than 1913 holds no relevance in 2007. If it did it would concern Serbia and Turkey (the inheritor of the Ottoman state) and not ethnic Albanians who have never owned Kosovo and Metohija (c'mon, thats the starting pistol for an avalanche of Illyria myths and legends).

What you ask is independence against international laws, without a democratic vote involving the citizens of said country (not province).

after having watched the statements of Ambassador Dumisani S. Kumalo of South Africa, Vitaly Churkin and Wang Guangya I would say it should be clear even to the last Albanian that you can kiss independence goodbye.

it is especially very stupid to insult member states of the UNSC as irrelevant, as Mr.Kumalo has mentioned...

seems like some don´t realize the importance of the UNSC, even outside the albanian lobby.

furthermore, the chinese permanent member and current chairman Wang Guangya made the chinese standpoint very clear.
so, every Albanian should take the time and watch his statement in order to end all illusions.

Have you ever heard the expression 'flogging a dead horse'? Well that is what the US is doing here. Ahtisaari's greater albania plan is dead, finito. However, the US, keep on insisiting on it and the Russians delight in telling them 'No'. It is also very clear from the Chinese statements that they are clearly against this illegal theft of a sovereign country's land. Time seems to be on the Serbian side. As time passes, more and more countries will stand up to the bullies who are trying to push through this illegal greater albania plan.

Kate,
You are asking the international forces to control any possible violence in Kosovo and in the meantime you are the one holding the entire region hostage.
International forces have been there for 8 years, and now they want to put the question to rest. On what moral premises you ask Nato forces to stay in Kosovo for protection when you and the rest of the Serbian klan refuse to accept a solution offered by the same governments that have provided this protection?
Why any of you have the guts to say, let NATO leave and Serb military will move in to control the province?
At least be honest about your intentions.

Olf - I agree that it will be extremely difficult but for the security of Europe a way must be found.

And please don't speak of Serbia's appalling human rights record 'even today'. Of course it needs improving, but the US, for example, is supposedly a wealthy, democratic and developed nation and has a terrible human rights record.

As for those number plates and provincial ID - that's fine. They can still be different within a sovereign state.

I can't go to the Serbian language site because I don't speak Serbian beyond a few words.

I am speaking as a European directly affected by the prospect of Kosovo independence. Am I not entitled to my view? I am deeply sorry that terrible things happened to people in Kosovo, no matter what ethnicity, but this issue stretches way beyond that.

The US cannot have the right to change borders in Europe, no matter what 'side' they take. And now I hear that the Kosovo Government is already refusing partition on the grounds that it would be redrawing borders! Such double standards.

This isn't a precedent - it's a prequel to future events.

Anthony,

Please hold your horses! Vojvodina as a benchmark? Everything is relative. Compared to Bosnia of the nineties it is naturally better. But it is very, very far from a democratic situation, where all ethnigues groups are treated equally. There is still a good amount of discrimination, especially in areas of justice. All Serbs vehemently deny it but it is a sad reality.
A good example: about 12-18 months ago 3 Hungarians of the Banat area of Vojvodina were condemned to a total of some 74 or 76 years for beating a Serb. I do not know the cause of the beating.
Anyway the severity of the punishment was in no relation with the crime. When Hungarians are attacked by Serbs the Serbs are simply not arrested by the police or get a warrning in the best case. So that is justice in Vojvodina. It remind me of justice in Kosovo before 1999.

Joe i made a comparison with the region and believe me... i'd rather be a Magyar in Vojvodina than a Magyar in Transylvania, or a Roma in Bulgaria, or a Pomak in Greece, or a member of any number of non-Albanian groups in Kosovo and Metohija. I only wanted to highlight that CoE commended Vojvodina.

Olf i dont need to learn about the history of Kosovo and Metohija. I have a degree in history (specialising in the Balkans) from a top 5 British University. Of course we were taught fact and had no time for national myths and legends (my dissertation was about the battle of Maritsa and its contribution to the demise of the Serbian Empire... i decontructed the Vidovdan myth). it is sad that many (including yourself) appear to believe half truths and state sponsered history that belongs to cold winter nights besides a hearth.

This delays are not fair on the Serbs. Everybody knows the decision is independence and everything is a matter of finding someone to say 'yes'... This procrastination is only hurting ordinary serbs and Kosovars.... PUt an end to it.

The UN Secretary general is right: "any unilateral decision to resolve Kosovo issue should be avoided". I wish these words be pronounced in Pristina as well, unfortunately, incited by a number of Western capitals for "alternative way" (i.e. violence and riots). These countries and Mr. Ahtisaari , encouraged by them to produce a one-sided plan,will bear personal resposibility, if it really happens. These people do not understand that by their wrong-doing they are undermining not only the prestige of the UNO, but that of their states as well.

Dragan I completely agree.
If someone looks the "trend" regarding kosovo's status using means taken by stock markets technical analysis would see the long/medium trend is in favor of the serbian side. So yes, time is with Serbia, (along with all countries of the world except US/UK).

Olf, that's a good idea. Bring all the IDP's to settle in Kosovo. There's plenty of land and opportunity. The EU will guarantee their safety and assist in their economic and social development. This would bring the demographics in Kosovo to a more even proportion of Albanians to other Kosovo citizens. BTW, Belgrade does not want to rule Kosovo. Kosovo will have broad autonomy, overseen by the EU. And you can even have your own license plates.

No one seem to be able to answer my questions properly. Similar answers were heard from Milosevic as well. Kate, I value your contributions in this matter but they have no grounds for long term solution. You point that US want to change the borders in EU. Sorry, US does not want, it is the people of Kosova that want that. People of Kosova are only supported by US and EU to get the freedom. I have heard something similar is happening with Scotland but not sure what? If Scotland is free to separate from GB why Kosova has be any different.

Anthony, history of Kosova is not as you describe it. You can learn from books in UK library’s if you are interested. I can recommend you some if you are interested.
Referendum would be a great idea. But Serbia does not recognise K-Albanians 2 million voters as it happened in the last referendum. Have they already taken Kosova from their voters list. If so it a wise idea.

The articles on Kosovo and the comments they invoke every day are becoming rather repetitive. Albanians accuse Russia of holding them and the region "hostage", as if independence is a self-evident and historically-obligated duty. The reality is that Russia is big enough, rich enough, and politically powerful enough to essentially check nearly all of Europe and the US in its quest to hammer through a resolution that is bound to create more problems after implementation than before.

Russia has also been on the advantage because they are just rejecting everything. It's easy to reject something, but far harder to propose an alternative solution. If people are genuinely interested in moving the process forward, AND avoiding that nightmare scenario of unilateral declaration that Ceku and his ilk are salivating over, Russia needs to be brought to the table and told "YOU propose a solution then". What does Russia really want?What would get Russia to come on board? Right now, the "West" is drawing up plans, and Russia is shooting it down, so let Russia take the driver's seat, rather than playing a guessing game with each recyclable proposal.

UN looks every day more and more like the Roman senate in its end days. A nice place for talking. Well, I guess we can start making jokes about UN like the ones we have about other categories (I don't mention here any of them in order not to offend those without sense of humor).

"Olf" wrote:
"But Serbia does not recognise K-Albanians 2 million voters as it happened in the last referendum. Have they already taken Kosova from their voters list. If so it a wise idea."

Olf, instead of hiding behind some scandinavian-like nick-name, you should rather stick to the truth!
Albanians from Kosovo could attend to the referendum, and a significant number of Albanians did vote, but it was only those Albanians out of reach of the kla. if you risk your life because of taking part in a referendum of a state you are living in, you probably won´t take part.

and last but not least the serbian government had no infra-structural possibillity to organise the referendum in Kosmet, since UNMIK is the provisional authority in Kosmet. so much for your referendum-nonsense.

Anthony
the 1913 treaty of London is not a myth.

adriano
Its the way it works. All u need is 1 and there is no independence. You said that they r irrelevent. U made a mistake. Now its unilateral which no one will support or autonomy. By the way unilateral will still mean Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia.

This is all too comical. The US/EU wants to see a resolution pass through the UNSC, on Kosovo's eventual status. Yet, if one does not occur soon or, if they don't agree with it, they (US/EU) will most probably circmvent the UN and impose their own will on the final declaration. Whether this is illeagal or not in international law, matters not when you are a Super power. I guess this would be a continuation of America's "Humanitarian Intervention" policy. Just like they intervened in Iraq to save the Kurds from Saddam. Afterall, the US always knows what is right for everyone.

Joe,
What justice is there in Kosovo today? For that matter what justice is there in Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, EVEN montenegro? None can compare to Serbs who have always been impartial and just.

This is for those still in denial.

Headquarters for US forces is located at Camp Bondsteel, built on 750 acres of former farmland near Urosevic. Bondsteel has about a 6-mile perimeter. The 1,000-acre camp was built from the ground up on a former field. Basecamps Bondsteel and Monteith were established in June 1999 in Kosovo to be used as staging points for the bulk of US forces stationed in the Multi National Brigade-East. About 4,000 US service members were stationed at Camp Bondsteel in the farm fields near Urosevac, and another 2,000 were at Camp Montieth, near Gnjilane.

Russia has no equity in Kosovo it’s a simple as that

Anthony, don’t know which books did you read from. I am rally amazed that the history(myths) you have learned did not mention Illyrians, movement of Slavs in Balkans end of 7th century, their religion, occupation of Kosova on 1913 etc. Can you tell at which University did you do your master please. I need to see their courses and ask for some information. Or maybe the university taught you the proper things but you like to twist them. Degrees do not count unless are used constructively.
Turks don’t want to do anything with Kosova since they know that it belongs to Albanians not Serbs.

Anthony it deeply saddens me that the top 5 uk university teaches you about battles and forgets to mention the crusaders when the christian power invaded the balkans only to fail later on. The anger of the orthodox community was so much that they decided to invade the balkans as a counter. It was since that day that there were orthodox in the balkans. On the albanian side albania is our religion, muslim catholic orthodox jews or anything is a by product.

Hi Anthony,

In reply to your last comment (even though you might not read this, because it is late, it is more for B92 than for you) I/we are for sure happy with your achievements in what concerns the history of Balkans. However very few of us are actually impressed by this so your mentioning sounds a bit strange. It does sound strange to say all these things about your thesis and claim to have knowledge of history and at the same time fail to have a diplomatic sense (technically you should have training for this, given your profesion, but...). You can not simply come and launch accusations like that on the web. I am talking about the (unfounded) accusations concerning countries around the ex. Yugoslavia in what concerns the way they treat their minorities: Greece, Romania, Bulgaria. Those words are very offending (placed here in basically no context at all). There is a lot of work in the minorities right in these countries. Probably you were thinking of something, but you have to say of what, not just send accusations. These countries have nothing to do with the Yugoslavia speech. If you make a comparison with the bloodshed in Yugoslavia, then these countries are saints. You can not drag them with such offending accusations into your speech as argumentation for a debate. That is why I also recommended you post for deletion. It was not because your opinion differs (that is your right) but because it was offending (as I was saying, pretty badly). There are a lot of people reading these posts... B92, with your moderation, please do not look to accommodate only the posters, but also the readers.

Anthnoy, here is something that I found in wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The constitutional status of Kosovo has changed on several occasions since the region was incorporated into Serbia in 1912. The province is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian (and previously, the Yugoslav) government and Kosovo's largely ethnic-Albanian population. In 1999 administration of the province was handed on an interim basis to the United Nations under the terms of UNSCR 1244 which ended the Kosovo conflict of that year. That resolution reaffirmed the sovereignty of Serbia over Kosovo but required the UN administration to promote the establishment of 'substantial autonomy and self-government' for Kosovo pending a 'final settlement' for negotiation between the parties. International negotiations, lead by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari, began in February 2006; a draft UN resolution which proposes 'supervised independence' for the province was discussed the Security Council in May and June of 2007 but as of early July had not achieved consensus amongst the permanent members (see Kosovo Status Process).

More I read your comments more I belive that you have heard some stories from your grandparents that porbably escaped from Yugoslavia.

I don't know how you got your master on history, but first of all, there was never a serbian empire. You can say serbian kigdom, yes and do you know how big of an area was serbian kingdom? I tell you it was belgrade with its sorroundings, and this is enshrined on the wall of Colesium in Rome, Italy. Been there and studied those maps on the walls very closely, and i recomend you take a trip to Rome and you will see what Iam talking about, which is HARD FACTS.

Cvele,
Tell that lie to the victims of Serbian justice.

According to you OLF, Anthony should be reading history books published by the Albanian Pritina Press. It amazes me what some Albanians believe, is it possible that Balkan history printed in 50 different languages from around the world all tell lies and that only the Albanian version of Balkan history is true? Time to spend some serious money in Kosovo for building a real University!